Iran Desert Tour | Individual Iran Tour | Pyala Travel - Travel Program
Explore the Lut and Kavir desert on this Iran Desert Tour with Pyala Travel. Combine this with a trip to remote villages and ancient cities like Isfahan and Shiraz.
Iran Classical Desert Tour
private tour
Classical Iran Tour with trips into the desert and nomad villages
This Iran trip shows you famous places like Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan and Yazd, but also you will travel to the Dasht-e Kavir desert where you will sleep in caravanserais and desert villages. Also you will meet nomadic tribes on this great Iran tour.
from 1595,-
14 days
Tabs
Day 1 Arrival Shiraz
You arrive at the airport of Shiraz and will be met by our local representative who will take you to your hotel. Shiraz, the city of nightingales, poetry and roses, is the center of Fars province. Fars has had a role of great significance in Iranian civilization. This province has the glorious cultural heritage of both the Achaemenid and Sassanian dynasties. Throughout Fars are monuments that reflect the rapid development of the province in both the pre-Islamic and Islamic eras. You can visit the Nasir–ol-Molk mosque where the morning sun shining through the stained glass windows creates a fantastic, colorful panorama on the floor of the main hall. Close to the mosque there is the Narenjestan Garden. This is a 19th-century garden that belonged to a wealthy family in the Qajar period. You can also visit the mausoleum of Shah-e-Cheragh, the 3rd most important religious site in Iran. The wonderful lighting and mirrors of this shrine make it extraordinarily beautiful. You can see families pray, talk, and eat, and you can sit inside and experience it among them. Another must-see is the Vakil Bazaar. Step into the bazaar and let yourself get lost in the labyrinth of alleys where you can see copper smiths, carpet sellers, and spice shops, Qashqai women in colorful skirts and old men in tea houses smoking hookah. Then, on to the glorious Karim Khan Citadel that dates from the 18th century Zand dynasty and the splendid Vakil Mosque. This city is famous for its poets and gardens. One of the most famous poets is Hafiz whose grave is in a small, quiet park. In the rear is a traditional tea house where you can enjoy sitting on cushions and drink sweet black tea or smoke a water pipe.
Day 2 Shiraz / excursion Persepolis
Today you will visit Persepolis, where the ruins of the glorious Achaemenid-style palace are a must-see for any trip to Iran. The palace is partially built into the side of the Kuh-e Rahmet Mountain and is where Darius the Great received offerings from all the nations of the vast Persian Empire. Not far from Persepolis are four royal tombs that have been carved into the mountain, including those of Darius the Great and Xerxes I.
Day 3 Shiraz -Zein-o Din via Pasargad
You begin the day by driving a few hours to Pasargad, where you will find the tomb of Cyrus the Great.You will rest, on the edge of the Dasht-e Kavir Desert in the ancient caravanserai of Zein-o Din. This is one of the best-preserved caravanserai in Iran and one of the few with a round shape; it is now used as hotel.
Spend the night in this enchanting place.
Day 4 zein-o Din - Yazd via Fahraj en Saryazd
Today you will drive to Yazd, and visit some desert villages. The first stop is Saryazd, a charming village full of mud houses and an impressive 1800-year-old castle. The next stop is Fahraj where you can visit one of the oldest mosques in Iran. This is a small desert village where life doesn’t get going in the street until the evening because of the stifling desert heat. During the day people try to stay indoors where it’s cool behind the thick adobe walls. Finally, you will arrive in Yazd, one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the country where there are now many restaurants, tea houses, hotels and shops.
Day 5 Yazd
Yazd is definitely a special city. You will find narrow streets lined with mud houses, especially around the central bazaar. The houses are characterized by the typical badgirs, towers that catch every breath of wind to promote circulation and cool down the house. Also unique are the many underground qanats, aqueducts that direct water throughout the city. The mosques of Yazd are like no others. The magnificent Jame Mosque dominates the old city. Its remarkably high, tiled entrance, flanked by two stunning minarets and adorned with an inscription from the 15th century, is simply superb. There are several beautiful mosques that lie hidden among the streets, also, including the Friday Mosque and the Masjad-e Mir Chakhmaq. On the main Amir Chakhmaq Square, you will find the stunning three-story façade of one of the finest tekyeh in the country. Tekyeh are places where traditional Muharram mourning ceremonies keep the memory of Imam Hussein, the 3rd Imam of Shiite, who was martyred at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D. Yazd is also known for being the center of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion. Here you can visit the Atashkade Fire Temple (House of Eternal Fire) and the Tower of Silence, a Zoroastrian burial place. In the evening you may choose to visit a zoorkhaneh strength ritual to see a traditional Iranian dance accompanied by the beating of drums.
Day 6 Yazd - Mesr via Garmeh
Today, you begin by exploring a great desert of Iran, Dasht–e Kavir, the Great Salt Desert. The first stop is Meybod, where you can visit an ancient ice house used as a reservoir for ice blocks, necessary in the heart of the desert. Here you can also visit one of the best-preserved mud castles in the country that dates back 1800 years to Sassanid era. From there you will cross the desert highway to Tabas and Mashad. This is a busy road with lots of trucks. All imports from the borders around Mashad, Afghanistan and central Asia enter Iran via this road on their way to cities such Yazd, Shiraz and Isfahan. The landscape is impressively beautiful and constantly changing. En route you will visit the beautiful desert village of Kharanaq, where you can lunch in a caravanserai surrounded by desert and rugged mountains.You continue to the village of Bayazeh that resembles a Moroccan Kasbah, except that it is totally desolate. This village can be an undiscovered treasure for desert lovers.
En route to Mesr the landscape gets enchantingly desolate, and with the light of the setting sun it is just beautiful.
Mesr is desert of sand dunes. You can walk to the top of the dunes and enjoy the view, silence and sunset. You will sleep in the small village of Mesr in a charming hotel, an ideal base for exploring the desert.
Day 7 Mesr - Isfahan via Anarak and Nain
In the morning, you can go on a camel ride for an hour through the sand dunes **, a wonderful experience. Once you get used to the camel’s gait, it is a relaxing and immersive way to see the area.After the camel ride you will begin to drive slowly out of the desert. On the way you’ll stop in the oasis town of Anarak, a pretty village on a hill. The next stop is Nain, with its centuries-old Friday Mosque.
Finally, you will arrive in the most famous city in the country, Isfahan. This gorgeous city is the pinnacle of Persian culture. There are countless mosques, palaces, gardens, bazaars and madrasa to visit. You will have enough time to see everything and to look for the best souvenirs at the bazaar. Maybe you will take home a Persian rug.
** Note: You can also opt for a longer camel ride. However, this is optional and at an additional cost.
Day 8 Isfahan
In the center of the city is the 160 x 500 m Naqsh-e Jahan Square, also known as Imam Square. On either side are the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the six-story Ali Qapo Palace and the Imam Mosque (Masjed-e-Emam). This last mosque you should visit at sunrise and sunset. You will be amazed how different it looks every time. If you are looking for a moment of tranquillity you will find it in a teahouse near the bazaar. Here you can take a break from the sometimes overwhelming sites of the square, and regroup before exploring the bazaar. The immense bazaar is divided into sections, each offering their own products. Rugs, antiques, gold jewelry, clothing, pots and pans, books, water pipes, everything is sold here.Note: The itinerary includes a car and driver for today. The rest of the time you can explore the city on your own.
Day 9 Isfahan
There is still much more to do in this wonderful city. Don’t forget to visit the Friday Mosque, the Christian and Armenian quarter of Jolfa, the impressive cemetery Golestan-e-Shohada where the victims of the Iran-Iraq war are buried, and the “moving” minarets of Manar Jomban.
Day 10 Isfahan - Kashan via Abyaneh
Today you leave the city and drive towards Kashan. On the way you will stop in Abyaneh, a beautiful mountain village located at the foot of Mt. Carcass. This is a village of living traditions and red clay architecture. All the people here wear traditional costumes, like the long white floral scarves worn by the women. The mosque with its wooden mihrab also shouldn't be missed. Via steep paths you can climb up to the ruins of several castles and enjoy a splendid view of the town.In the afternoon you will arrive in Kashan, a pretty oasis town with a bustling bazaar, some great trading houses and one of the country's most famous gardens: the Fin Garden.
Day 11 Kashan
Today brings you to the pleasant oasis town of Kashan with its marvelous merchant houses and one of the country’s most famous gardens, The Fin Garden.The most beautiful houses of wealthy merchants are close together in the west part of the town. You can visit beautifully-decorated rooms with colored murals and amazing stained glass windows in the Tabatabi house or nearby in the Abbasi house.
The Brujerdi house, the Samovars merchant, has a pretty garden and the most beautiful frescos from the hand of Kamal al Molk, a famous Iranian artist. Nearby is one of the finest Hammams (baths) in Iran: Hamma–e Sultan Ahmed Mir that features multiple rooms of beautifully-colored tiles. You can see the magnificent view of Kashan from the roof of the building. Visiting the beautiful Fin Garden is the highlight of the city. There is also a small bazaar, and don't miss the beautiful caravanserai and tea house.
Day 12 Kashan - Teheran via Abyaneh and Qom
From Kashan you head to Tehran via the beautiful mountain village of Abyaneh and the holy city of Qom. Abyaneh, located at the foot of Mt. Carcass, is a village of living traditions and red clay architecture. All the people here wear traditional costumes, like the long white floral scarves worn by the women. The mosque with its wooden mihrab also shouldn't be missed. Via steep paths you can climb up to the ruins of several castles and enjoy a splendid view of the town.In the afternoon, you will continue to Qom on your way to Tehran. Qom is the center of the Islamic revolution and the city of mullahs, Muslim clergy. Here you can see the Hazret-Masumeh, the shrine of Fatemeh, the sister of Imam Reza. This is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Shiites. Once you get above the vast underground car park to the square in front of the mausoleum, you are in another world. There are hundreds of mullahs, women in chador robes, and pilgrims from all over Central Asia and the Middle East. It is a beautiful sight, right in the heart of Shiite Islam. You can visit the shrine but no photography is allowed. In the center of this huge complex is the mausoleum of Fatemeh herself, which everyone touches. You may be able to enter the mausoleum, though sometimes it is closed to visitors. The whole complex radiates a great tranquility.
From Qom it is a short two-hour drive to the capital, Tehran. Along the way you will pass the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Day 13 Tehran
Today you have the opportunity to explore the Iranian capital. You can visit the Sa 'd Abad Park, where several residences were combined to make the former summer palace of the Shah. Another option is to visit the National Museum, with an extensive collection that gives you a good introduction to the history of Iran and Islamic art and culture.You can also pay a visit to Golestan Palace. This palace dates back to the Khajar Dynasty and provides a window into how Iranian nobles lived in the past.
Another option is the National Jewel Museum, one of the best museums in the country with a world-renowned jewelery collection including Nur Darya, the world's largest diamond. And don’t forget the bazaar, one of the largest in the country.
Note: You cannot see everything in a day and you must make a choice from the above options. You should take into consideration that the museums are open on different days and what you can see will depend on what day you are in Tehran.
Day 14 Depart Tehran
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Hi, I am Maryam Osanloo, your local travel agent.
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Hi, I am Maryam Osanloo, your local travel agent.
Discover iran with me!
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